Middle East Airlines Face $4.3 Billion Loss — the Only Region in the Red
Photo Credit: The departure hall at Hamad Interational Airport in Qatar. Qatar Airways
Skift Take
The Gulf hub model was built for scale and transfer traffic. The Iran war has disabled both.
Airlines in the Middle East are expected to post a net loss of $4.3 billion in 2026 as capacity reductions, flight cancellations, operational disruptions, and elevated fuel prices push up operating expenses, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The loss of transfer traffic is also weighing on load factors and raising unit costs, IATA said in its financial outlook for the global airline industry released at its annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
The Middle East is the only region globally expected to slip into the red due to weak demand and operational disruptions, IATA said. All other regions are expected to
